It’s 2025, and the Bulgarian labor market is caught between two competing narratives: the one employers think they’re writing, and the one employees are actually living. On one hand, companies believe they’re becoming more competitive by offering standardized perks: meal vouchers, health insurance, occasional team buildings. On the other hand, employees are staring at rising costs of living, stagnant wage growth, and benefits packages that feel more like placeholders than real support.

The problem isn’t that companies don’t offer anything. It’s that they’re not offering what actually matters.

A quiet discontent

Across Bulgaria, more than half of employees earn under 1,500 EUR net per month. That's not surprising, it tracks with broader regional patterns. But what’s more revealing is the disconnect between what workers actually earn and what they believe would be fair. In Bulgaria, almost 55% of respondents said a “fair salary” should fall between 1,500 and 3,000 EUR. There's nothing extravagant about that figure. It's simply a reflection of the rising price of rent, food, healthcare - of life.

And yet, only 1.5% of employees in Bulgaria say they are fully satisfied with their current salary. That’s not a number, it’s an indictment.

But if salary dissatisfaction is the powder keg, then outdated and impersonal benefits are the slow-burning fuse.

Because here's the part employers continue to underestimate: benefits are no longer a side dish. They’re the meal. And what employees in Bulgaria are telling us loudly, clearly, and repeatedly is that the menu needs to change.

The wrong benefits, for the wrong reasons

Let’s talk about what’s being offered.

Private health insurance, performance bonuses, flexible work,  these are the most common employer-provided benefits in Bulgaria. In isolation, they sound solid. But dig deeper and the picture shifts. Only 47% of employees report receiving health insurance. Less than 40% say they have access to flexible work. Mental health support? Family care benefits? Practically nonexistent.

Why? Because employers still operate with a transactional mindset: “Let’s offer what’s scalable, what’s measurable, what’s safe.” The result? Packages that may be legally compliant but are emotionally tone-deaf.

Meanwhile, employees are asking for something else entirely.

They're not chasing ping-pong tables or Friday pizza. They’re asking for more autonomy over their time. For the ability to log off without guilt. For mental health programs that treat burnout as a legitimate concern, not a personal weakness. For family-oriented policies that reflect the realities of working parents. In short, for benefits that make them feel seen, not just used.

And they’re not asking quietly.

In the survey conducted by wherewework, more than 74% of Bulgarian employees said they are open to changing jobs. Of those, 29% are already actively searching. This is not just churn. It’s a referendum on the current employee experience.

The insights in this article are grounded in data from the Regional Survey: Salaries & Benefits – Balancing Expectations and Offers, conducted between April and June 2025 across Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, and Republic of Moldova.

With a total of 9,888 responses, including 990 employers and 8,898 employees, the study offers a deep, comparative look at how compensation and benefits are perceived and misaligned across the region.

The emotional contract is broken

Employers continue to misunderstand the role of benefits. They view them as line items on a budget. But for employees, benefits are signals. They tell a story about how much a company cares. About whether work is designed around people or people are expected to bend around work.

When a company offers a standard benefits package but demands overtime, ignores mental health, or penalizes parents for being parents, the message is clear: “We don’t see you. You’re a cost center. Be grateful you’re employed.”

That message is why people leave. It’s why they disengage before they resign. It’s why 56% of Bulgarian employees say they’re dissatisfied with their compensation and why many feel no emotional loyalty to their current employer.

Because when benefits lack emotional value, the emotional contract between company and employee begins to rot. And once that’s gone, no salary bump can fix it.

What can employees do?

The reality is, many workers feel trapped between low pay and limited options. But the tools to navigate better paths do exist if they know where to look.

Platforms like wherewework exist precisely for this reason. By reading authentic, anonymous reviews from other employees, job seekers can get a real picture of what companies offer beyond the job description. By contributing their own experiences, they help create a more transparent ecosystem, one that holds companies accountable and protects future candidates.

For those preparing to move on, wherewework offers tailored CV templates, designed not just to format resumes, but to frame their narrative, especially for candidates looking to move toward healthier environments. The job search engine on the platform is more than a listing board, it’s a gateway to workplaces that align better with their values.

In a world where many employees are expected to accept whatever they’re given, tools like these are a small but powerful act of agency.

Final thought: Benefits are culture in disguise

Here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud: many Bulgarian employers are not offering poor benefits because they can’t afford better. They’re doing it because they don’t understand the stakes.

They think retention is about salaries and perks. It’s not. It’s about relevance. Respect. Relationship. And if companies in Bulgaria want to survive the growing wave of mobility and talent skepticism, they need to treat benefits not as perks, but as strategy. As culture.

Because the benefits that truly matter aren’t even that expensive. But ignoring them is.

And if 2025 has shown us anything, it’s this: Employees have stopped waiting for permission to want more. Now the question is whether employers are willing to meet them there, or get left behind.